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Do This, Not That: Arm Exercises
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items I'm a Physical Therapist and I don't want you to hurt yourself trying to strengthen your arms, ESPECIALLY if you are returning to exercise. I've chosen ones where the risk outweighs the benefits for us couch potatoes/normal people and offered in their place tried and trues with lower risk of injury.
Dont do this! Shoulder restrictions from desk posture cause our arms to go overhead crooked, which leads to muscle strain. Avoiding head contact with the weight pushes the head forward, adding more possibilities for neck strain and reinforces weird posture.
Overhead Triceps Press
Do This! But stand up straight with nice posture (not like the picture). This way you strengthen your triceps AND your core/posture muscles. Be sure to keep shoulders away from ears.
Resistance Band Tricep Extension (14 Variations) - Critical Body
Or Do this! Use a lighter weight, and keep your shoulder blades slightly engaged.
Tricep Kickbacks: How-to, Benefits, and More - Healthline
Don't do this! Shoulders are really fussy and most of us have an imbalance somewhere in the rotator cuff. This overhead press needs your shoulders to be PERFECT to be done correctly. No one has perfect shoulders, and it's easy to either pinch your ro...
Walmart
Do this! You can alternate palms facing down and palms facing each other to work different muscles.
Dumbbell Front Raises: Techniques, Benefits, Variations - Verywell Fit
Don't do this! We spend way too much of our life with our shoulders up at our ears- from driving, the computer, our phone, stress…and this can lead to bad posture, neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches. There is NO REASON to spend your precious work ou...
How To: Dumbbell Shrugs
Do this instead! Bicep curls are great and very functional, bc they are the same muscles that help us carry groceries. When you do yours practice your posture and control the weight both up and down direction/ don't swing them.
How to Do Biceps Curls: Benefits and Variations - Verywell Fit
Don't do this! Especially like how they are doing it in the pictures. There is no way you can do that and keep your shrugging/neck muscles relaxed.
Upright Row With Dumbbell: Muscles Worked, Exercise Video
Do this! Raise your arms to 90 deg, either out in front of your body, or out to the side (they each work different muscles). It's important to use your arm muscles and not your neck muscles. If you feel your neck working or shoulders shrugging decrea...
Exercise Tutorial: Lateral Raises Arms 90°
Don't do this! There is no reason to do this. In fact, all of these exercises where you hold your arms out straight and repetitively do a move have one thing in common: as soon as your arms get tired your neck muscles KICK RIGHT IN. And they overwork...
Bus Drivers Video Exercise Guide - Muscle & Strength
Do this instead! You are still in the arms out straight position but now you're also strengthening your core! Plus less strain on your neck muscles.
How to Do a Plank: Techniques, Benefits, Variations - Verywell Fit
Do this one too! This is an exercise that PTs love bc it helps strengthen your rotator cuff, but most people don't think to do it. Add a few in with a stretchy band to help keep your shoulders happy.
Guide to Banded External Rotation Exercises for Shoulder
Do this one too! We all have tight chest muscles, and this is a nice way to stretch it. You can do one arm at a time or both together like the picture. You should feel a stretch in front of your shoulder, not pain. Hold for at least 5 slow breaths.
The Doorway Pec Stretch Upgraded - Precision Movement
Do this one! The wall push-up is very underrated but a great place to work on your form! As you lean in towards wall, make sure your shoulder blades pinch together and shoulders are relaxed and down. Keep your core tight like you're doing a plank. Yo...
Wall Pushup Variations for a Strong Chest, Shoulders, and Back